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Santa Clara County ends contract with CalFire for south county fire service
Santa Clara County supervisors on Tuesday voted to dissolve a special fire protection district which serves the southern portion of the county, and relies on CalFire for service, and the county will now provide direct fire service to the impacted areas.
GILROY, Calif - A significant change is coming for fire protection in the southern part of Santa Clara County.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to end a contract with Cal Fire and place fire service in that part of the county under direct county control.
At Tuesday's meeting, county leaders emphasized that this decision is not related to the quality of Cal Fire firefighters. They believe, however, that budget constraints at the state level have resulted in a lower level of service than the county could directly provide.
Currently, residents outside the cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill are part of the South Santa Clara County Fire Protection District, which contracts with Cal Fire for service.
"The significance is that they do not have to worry if CalFire is going to have enough money to help them out when there is a fire or some kind of emergency," said Supervisor Sylvia Arenas, who represents the south county area.
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The board unanimously voted to terminate the fire district, established in 1980, and merge it with the rest of the county’s fire service.
According to the union for Cal Fire firefighters, more than 30 Cal Fire employees could lose their jobs as a result of the move.
"I am absolutely opposed to the idea that 30-plus firefighters who have served our community with courage and distinction could be replaced by an annexation idea that is confusing, dangerous, expensive, and reduces community protection," said Matt Westerman, a representative of Cal Fire Local 2881, at the meeting.
Supervisors said the South County Fire Protection District has been losing money, and the county has already been directly supplementing the Cal Fire contract.
"What is at stake here is the viability. Can they continue to provide the services that they committed to, and what we have seen is no,’" Arenas said.
County leaders also see it as an equity issue, saying they want all county residents to receive the same level of emergency response.
"CalFire continues to be a critical partner not only in the south county but across our region, both through direct services and mutual aid. And seeing what is going on in Los Angeles, the amount of work that CalFire has done is nothing less than monumental," said Supervisor Otto Lee, the chair of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
Still unanswered at Tuesday’s meeting is the specific procedure for the county to absorb any potentially impacted Cal Fire firefighters. The county executive promised supervisors a report soon that will address the options and details of that process.